Acts 12 Footnotes

12:1-2 King Herod (Agrippa I) ruled from AD 37–44. His attack seems focused on the apostles in Jerusalem. He killed James, the “Son of Thunder” (Mk 3:17) who was John’s brother. No reason is given. This anticipates further persecution and Peter’s threatened execution (v. 6).

12:6-10 Peter’s rescue is different from the previous one; he was led out by an angel past the guards. Used to seeing visions, Peter only afterwards realized he had been rescued.

12:15 Some of those inside thought Rhoda was seeing things; others assumed she was seeing the angel or ghost of the executed Peter. Peter’s persistence led them to answer the door and see that he was, in fact, still alive, having been rescued by God.

12:17 James (Jesus’s brother) was not a follower of Jesus during his ministry (Jn 7:5); he became a believer upon Jesus’s resurrection (Ac 1:14; 1Co 15:7) and later emerged as a leader in the Jerusalem church (Ac 21:18; Gl 2:19).

12:23 Herod Agrippa’s arrogance resulted in God justly striking him down. Estimations of the disease range from appendicitis, to poisoning, to parasites, to an intestinal blockage. Josephus also recounted this incident (Antiquities 19).